PAN-ISLAMIC THINK TANK WEIGHS IN FOR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 007196

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/PI, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD,
ECA/PE/C/NEA/AF TJOHNSTON, ECA/PE/V/R/N LMOODY
NEA/ARN ASCHEDLBAUER,
NEA/ENA JRUBIN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KISL PREL PGOV PTER KPAL KWBG
SUBJECT: PAN-ISLAMIC THINK TANK WEIGHS IN FOR
DEMOCRATIC VALUES, BUT NOT THE U.S. KIND

REF: JERUSALM 02915


1. Summary. Under the auspices of Crown Prince
Hamza, the Aal-al-Beit Foundation held a conference,
Aug. 20 - 23, on "The Islamic System of Governance and
Democracy." About 40 well-known Islamic scholars and
media personalities, such as Sheikh Yousuf Al Qardawi
of Al Jazeera fame, affirmed that Islamic principles of
governance include rule of law, representative
government and tolerance as well as a commitment to
equality for all. King Abdullah met with the scholars,
and the conference received front-page coverage in the
local media. Despite interventions by the PAO, who
also attended several sessions, the scholars portrayed
Western democracy, especially the U.S. model, as
morally bankrupt and arrogant towards other cultures
and beliefs. But they also rejected existing
authoritarian systems in the Arab world and stressed
the need for political reform. End Summary.

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Islam: the Real Democracy
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2. In the early days, the speakers pointed out, the
Prophet and his immediate successors emphasized rule of
law and submission to the rule of the majority as
expressed by the Shura councils. Early Islamic
governance likewise treated all men equally, including
non-Muslims, and codified tolerance of other religious
beliefs and practices. Besides the executive,
legislative and judicial branches, Islam establishes a
fourth center of power, they maintained: the divine but
all-accommodating pillars of the faith.

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Don't Imitate the U.S.
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3. The scholars appeared to be unanimous in rejecting
the Western and especially the U.S. model of democracy.
This system lacks any ethical or moral compass,
according to several presenters, and suffers from the
"tyranny of the majority," which can mandate such
"aberrations" as gay marriage and extramarital sex.
Several speakers sounded like Marxists from the sixties
as they decried the "materialist basis" of Western
democracy, in which the rich buy votes and control the
media. Without material prosperity propped up by
technology, one scholar maintained, Western democracy
would collapse into chaos.

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The Judeo-Christian "Menace"
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4. The real proof of the flaws in western democracy,
several scholars argued, was U.S. policy toward
Palestine and Iraq and the "Crusade" against Islam.
How could a government that espouses freedom and
equality embrace "the racist polices of the Sharon
government?" In a session on "the American Position
towards Religion," a professor who had lived and taught
in the U.S. claimed that in order to fill the moral
void, American government and society have adopted a
"Judeo-Christian" ideology that would inevitably bring
the U.S. directly into a clash with the Islamic world.
When the PAO interjected that successive U.S.
administrations have gone out of their way to express
respect for Islam and there was no intention of
imposing any form of democracy on the region, the
scholar dismissed these statements. From the days of
Athens and Rome, he stated, the West has always pursued
a "With Us or Against Us" policy towards other cultures
and beliefs. The only exceptions were brief, cynical
alliances such as U.S. support for Afghan rebels
against the Soviets.

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But They Still Want Dialogue
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5. Despite the anti-U.S. rhetoric, most of the speakers
stressed their desire for dialogue and tolerance, both
to counter homegrown extremism and to improve the image
of Islam in the West. They also urged reform and
progress towards democracy of the Islamic kind in the
Muslim world. "The worst form of democracy is better
than the best dictatorship," one scholar said. In
private conversations with the PAO, and with Charg
over a dinner hosted by Crown Prince Hamzeh, many of
the participants adopted a much friendlier tone, saying
that they wanted additional contact and cooperation;
several were U.S. -bound and seeking assistance with
their visas.